The Other Counteroffensive to Save Ukraine

June 15, 2023, Opinion: "As Ukrainians risk their lives battling for national survival, the United States, European countries, and their allies should prepare a counteroffensive of their own against Russian aggression: a massive new European recovery program to begin operation by next year. This counteroffensive would be nonviolent, centered on economic and political reconstruction. But it would help secure a lasting Ukrainian victory. An ambitious recovery program that recalls the Marshall Plan would sustain Ukraine, make Europe more secure, brighten the future of surrounding regions, and revitalize the European project itself. That would be a real triumph over Russia’s effort to plunge Europe back into a darker age.  To give this plan credibility, Western countries should prepare to use frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. The UN General Assembly has already endorsed an international mechanism for compensating Ukraine for loss, damage, and injury suffered during the war, and such a plan can give Moscow another opportunity to comply with its international obligations. But one way or another, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government, not Western taxpayers, should bear most of the costs.  Read Via Foreign Affairs